Sunday, October 2, 2011

Daybook - October

Reading - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. This book had me at the levitating girl. It's audacious, managing to mix themes of moral responsibility and war with Welsh mythology, time travel and shape changing. Riggs also shakes in a drop of coming-of-age. It's the story of Jacob, grieving the death of his grandfather Abe, once a child refugee from the Holocaust, and exploring the truth or otherwise of the fantastic stories Abe told him as a child. It held me right until the last chapter; cynical, Riggs has left the narrative hanging, ready for Book Two. I love a series, but this debut author mishandles his ending in a way that someone like Susan Cooper, more respectful of her audience, does not.

Listening - it's been a Joni weekend, with a dash of Natalie Merchant and a pinch of Liz Phair.

Making - Lucy and I are making skirts this week - floral, gathered at the waist, mid-length, decorative pockets. We washed the fabric and cut out the pattern days ago, but got derailed by illness. Sewing is like a horse for me; I have to keep getting on (with) it. Otherwise I get scared of the machine again and procrastinate.

Planning - to finish the our home schooling reregistration documentation. That's a mouthful! Our programs are planned and printed. I'm battling annoyance at recent changes which mean we no longer get a visit from an Authorised Person - I enjoyed those visits, talking over our programs, chatting about books and resources - but must now register by documentation. This means an unearthly amount of photocopying, wasteful in the extreme. It also means a certain amount of ill-feeling towards the Board of Studies, for saving themselves work and in the process, adding to mine. Not to mention their insistence that I provide a full application and program for Arwen, even though she has two months of home schooling left.

Hoping - for a cheering week. I'm shrinking back in dread of the month. After the holidays it contains too many appointments and re-re-scheduled surgery. Not nice.

A Thought -
"War is not women's history."
 - Virginia Woolf

1 comment:

  1. Sounds fascinating! Anything like Charle's de Lint's stuff?

    ReplyDelete